Why Does Your Air Conditioner Freeze in Summer?

Posted July 20, 2017

The summer can get so hot in Upland, so how in the world is your home’s air conditioner freezing over? It seems to make no sense. You may not even realize it’s happening. How will you determine if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a ridiculous question, but you generally won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to monitor for that indicate you could be dealing with a frozen AC system that could be in need of air conditioning service:

Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is on.

Water is leaking from or collecting under your air conditioner.

When we say the air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which transports heat out of your home to maintain the cooler temperatures. There are two main causes that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the second is a blockage of airflow.

If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to discuss with your Klaus & Sons Heating & Air Conditioning technician during your air conditioning service appointment to determine if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you evaluate the pros and cons using background such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, along with other things.

If your air conditioner has frozen due to an airflow blockage, it’s because there is not enough air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that builds up on it—then it freezes. Air flow blockages are commonly caused by dirty air filters or even dirty cooling fins. These problems can be remedied (and avoided!) by a routine air conditioner service appointment. At these service sessions, your technician will clean your system, replace your air filters and confirm everything is working as it should with no potential challenges on the horizon. It’s also a good idea to mark your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to check your air filters frequently and change the filters when they are dirty. Always be sure that furniture, curtains and other household items aren’t blocking your registers, as even this could cause a large airflow problem and the ensuing freezing problems.

If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the team at Klaus & Sons Heating & Air Conditioning to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the issue and have your home back to cool and comfortable as soon as possible. Call us at 909-982-5698 or schedule an appointment with us online.

Lennox was created to deliver some of the most long-lasting, reliable HVAC systems in the industry while providing superior service and quality for customers. Klaus & Sons Heating & Air Conditioning in Upland is no different, with our on-going dedication to your comfort and commitment to the community. We strive to be the greatest at what we do so you can always be comfortable, and know you can always depend on us. Give us a shout at 909-982-5698 or arrange an appointment with us so we can help you achieve whole home comfort.